Sweets
by electroxboosh
Summary: Howince story choc full of fluff for now, rated M for future chapters. Thank you and enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

_**Sweets**_

**Part 001**

"Howard? Howard? Howard? Howard? Howard?"

"What?!"

"Can I have a candy cane _now_?"

"No, Vince. They are for the customers."

"But Howard!"

"But nothing. Now make yourself useful and help me decorate this tree."

Howard glanced over at his best friend with an annoyed look on his face, but it soon turned into a small smile once he noticed that Vince's pink tongue was sticking out as he concentrated on hooking a Christmas bauble onto what was perhaps the weakest branch on the tree. It was the eve of Christmas eve, and the snow outside was falling lightly and sticking to the windows. Howard was trying even harder to attract customers for the holiday season. The last time Vince tried doing that, Howard got a not-so-lovely visit from Eleanor. (Howard Moon does not bum people silly for loose change!) So this time, Howard was taking over the advertising. They haven't gotten many customers, and as Howard assumed, they were all shopping online now.

"_Stupid lazy pricks," _thought Howard. Suddenly, he had a brilliant idea.

"Hey!" he exclaimed loudly, causing Vince to jump in fright and drop the decoration, which shattered on the floor. He winced.

"There's another mess I have to clean up," thought Vince woefully, still glancing at the candy canes from time to time with longing evident in his eyes.

"What is it, you batty crease?!" Vince interjected, clearly perturbed.

"We should make a website for Nabootique. That way customers can order things from the comfort of their own homes!" Howard beamed at his friend who looked as if he was going to combust at any moment.

"Stupid lazy pricks," was all Vince had to add before reaching toward a candy cane hanging from the utmost branch. He grabbed it and held it securely in his hand.

"Hey!"

"What? It's not as if anyone's coming in here anytime soon! Why can't I have just one?"

Howard rolled his eyes. "Give it here, Noir."

"Make me," Vince smiled slyly.

Howard growled in frustration. Without warning, he charged at Vince who was backing away toward the door. He tried to grab the treat from behind Vince's back, but since he was pressed against the door Howard had to reach for it from the front, resulting in the two men becoming very close to each other. The older man tried once more to reach behind his friends slender back, but to no avail. Howard frowned, putting his face closer to Vince's in an attempt to intimidate him.

"Oh, don't squint your eyes like that Howard, you look even more like a crab!" Vince giggled nervously, hands still behind his back clutching the candy cane. Howard looked down, clearly hurt by this statement. He was really getting sick of everyone poking fun at his features. Especially Vince who was completely perfect in every way. Howard's eyes focused on Vince's lips. They were unlike any Howard has ever seen, and paled in comparison to his thin, winter-chapped ones. He realized his own were now slightly parted as he continued to admire his friends beauty. He felt Vince's fluttering heartbeat against his own chest, and forgot about whatever it was that made him mad in the first place.

"Howard, I'm sorry," Vince offered him with a sympathetic look, all the while trying to ignore his irregular heartbeat and the strange feelings brewing deep inside of him. He thought back to the roof times, where he and Howard kissed to save his own head from being chopped off. He snapped out of his reverie when he felt himself fall backward. The door he was leaning on had opened. Before he could hit the cold pavement, Howard caught him and pulled him up.

"Bollo!" Howard and Vince said in unison, now extremely irritated that they were interrupted by a stupid ape.

"Sorry to break up gay fest. Need to find potion." And with that the gorilla left them alone, stealing away to the back room.

"Ugh! Fuck that animal!" Vince said angrily.

"You don't mean that," Howard said.

Vince sighed, brushing off his glimmering jumpsuit. For a moment they both had forgotten what they had been previously arguing about. Howard smirked when he remembered, and grabbed the crushed sweet off the floor. When he stood up again his smile vanished as he found Vince missing, as well as the box of candy canes.

"_Damn it," _thought Howard who began searching the space for any sign of his friend. He then realized that he was probably upstairs. Howard made no attempt to sneak as he hurried up the creaky staircase, barreling into Vince's bedroom when he reached it. He stopped dead in his tracks, staring wide-eyed at Vince, who was sprawled out on his silk sheets, a candy cane placed between his lips. He sucked on the sweet merrily, winking at his friend. Howard's anger receded like an ocean and the feeling was replaced by sheer astonishment.

He found himself looking Vince up and down. He subconsciously moved toward the Queen sized bed. Vince simply smiled at him and patted the space next to him. Howard slid beside him in no time, shamelessly dismissing all the questions running through his mind at the moment. All he seemed to be able to concentrate on were Vince's sticky, red stained lips and his sweet peppermint breath blowing in his face. Finally, Vince spoke.

"Open up," he giggled girlishly, shoving the already wet sweet into Howard's slightly open mouth. Howard closed his eyes and relished in the taste. He allowed his tongue to slide about it, and sucked on it perversely, glancing at a grinning Vince. Suddenly he pulled the candy from his friends mouth and set it aside His mouth crashed against Howard's with absolute desire. The inexperienced man gasped , giving in to Vince's charm immediately. He melted into the kiss and his hand shot up to caress Vince's hair. Normally Vince would have qualms about anyone touching his hair, but this time he didn't mind.

Vince was the first one to slide his tongue along Howard's bottom lip. Howard opened his mouth and let Vince's tongue in, and all inhibitions were lost when Howard felt an indescribable sensation coursing throughout his whole body. After a few seconds Howard's tongue found it's rhythm and began fighting with Vince's for dominance. Howard felt a hand caress his chest lightly, and he let out a small noise like that of a kitten. The two men broke apart to intake sharp breaths. Vince let out a breathy laugh and Howard's face flushed with embarrassment.

"Did that really happen?" Howard panted, looking directly into Vince's eyes.

"It's not a dream anymore," Vince said, brushing hair out of his friends face tenderly.

"W-what do you mean?" Howard asked, although he knew exactly what Vince meant.

"I've heard you, in the middle of the night, calling my name. You wake me every time, and it's a wonder why anyone else didn't hear you. Howard I know how you feel about me. And I just proved my own point: _you love me_," Vince said knowingly.

"Of course I love you, you're my best friend." He tried to cover it up with a fraction of the truth.

"I know what you want, Howard. And I want it to. Can't you see?" Vince said imploringly as he looked up into Howard's rugged face.

"But---"

"But nothing! Why are you so afraid? Just accept it, Howard," Vince almost pleaded.

"I just need time to think," Howard gulped nervously.

Vince nodded, "Fine. I'll give you until Christmas to make up your mind."

The butterflies in Howard's stomach were fluttering around uncontrollably as he rose from the bed reluctantly to make his way toward the door.

"Oh, and one more thing," Vince added, making Howard pause for a moment.

"Y-yes?" Howard stammered, not turning around for fear of getting caught in Vince's gaze once more.

"The sweets were delicious…" Vince said "And so are you," he added as an afterthought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 002**

The day has finally come. Its Christmas morning and all Vince and Howard had on their minds was what happened 3 days earlier. Howard was the last to wake up, and as he made his way downstairs in his tweed pajamas, he shivered from the cold. Naboo and his familiar had gone on holiday with the shaman counsel, presumably getting as wasted as they possibly can. At times Howard wished he had friends other than that Jack of Clubs Lester Corncrake. Vince was undoubtedly his best friend, but all Howard could think about lately was how much he wanted Vince to be something more.

Up until 3 days ago, they had never addressed their feelings for one another in a serious manner, let alone act upon them as much as they did the other day. Howard had never felt so alive and, dare he say, aroused at the sight or touch of anyone else but Vince. The sweet kiss they shared was in the back of Howard's mind, and he knew he had to make his decision. He knew very well what he wanted, and it was to be free to love his best mate since childhood. The thought of holding Vince tightly his arms and caressing those beautiful full lips with his own drove Howard mad.

At long last Howard reached the bottom of the stairs to be greeted with the mixed aromas of pine, peppermint, and chocolate. He looked up and found his friend standing next the still-fresh green fir. Howard noticed that Vince was in nothing but a silk floral robe and pink fuzzy slippers. He looked ridiculous, yet beautiful all the same. He held a mug of hot cocoa in his hands, his lips pouted in an "O" shape as they hovered over the hot drink. He took a cautious sip and smiled, not realizing he was being carefully watched.

"Hiya Vince," Howard spoke nervously, trying not to let the tingles he felt reach his nether region. He gulped when Vince set the mug down and approached him, pulling him into a sweet smelling embrace. Howard awkwardly wrapped his arms around his friends skinny frame and patted him on the back. He wished to sweep him up into his arms but knew Vince would laugh at him. He'd never hear the end of it. There was a simple truth to Howard, and he wasn't going to let his inhibitions outweigh his prideful shtick, therefore he refrained from acting upon them.

"Happy Christmas, Howard!" Vince said, letting out a breath that caressed Howard's neck, causing him to shiver. The feeling of Vince's body pressed against his own sent a wave of pleasing tingles that went straight toward Howard's abdomen. Howard pulled away reluctantly, afraid that Vince would notice his apparent oncoming erection.

"Presents now?" Vince grinned like a child as he jumped up and down.

"Absolutely," Howard couldn't help but smile at Vince's cuteness.

"What did you get me?" Vince asked, now searching under the lit tree for his gift.

The previous night Howard had dared to kneel by the edge of Vince's bed while he was fast asleep. He must have been feeling courageous because he pushed a stray clump of hair away from Vince's beautiful face to plant a light kiss on his forehead. He had hoped Vince didn't notice because that would most likely be cause for him to make fun of him.

Howard ignored his sudden arousal and sat down cross-legged beside his friend on the floor. He tore the paper right off the first gift he saw eagerly. A smile was already present on his face and Howard admired his imperfect teeth. He desired to feel those teeth bite down upon his flesh just hard enough to make a small bruise. Yes, he wanted to let people see those bruises and know for certain that he belonged to Vince and no one else.

Howard snapped out of his musings to see that Vince already had the silk scarf he bought around his neck.

"I love it." Vince beamed and pecked Howard on his stubbly cheek. The man blushed at the electric shock he felt when Vince's lips touched his face. Howard looked out the window and caught a glimpse of his elegantly disheveled hair in the reflection of the glass. He couldn't imagine why Vince would be attracted to someone like him. With the horrible bags under his eyes, his dull hair, his boring brown eyes and his crows feet, he wasn't sure if anyone could ever love him.

"Um, Howard? Are you okay?" Vince caught his attention and his head snapped back to look at him. He avoided looking straight into his imploring eyes for fear that Vince could see right through him.

"Of course I'm okay," he lied.

"No you're not. I can tell. I've known you longer than anyone else and I know when you're lying to me. What's on your mind?"

Howard finally gave in and spilled his guts in one sentence.

"I love you, Vince."

"I know you love me. But do you _really_ love me?" he chuckled.

"Yes," he admitted in all seriousness.

Vince looked at him, and with his eyes glossed over with emotion, he leaned forward and rested his forehead on Howard's, gazing deeply into his eyes.

Howard placed a hard, passionate kiss on Vince's mouth without hesitation. He felt Vince's heart flutter through his chest and he pulled him even closer while his tongue circled around Vince's, fighting for dominance. They pulled apart reluctantly after a minute in order to breathe. Finally, Vince spoke.

"I love you too, Howard. Always have, always will."


	3. Chapter 3

Vince always thought that Howard had a certain charm about him that no one else seemed to notice. They couldn't see past his jazzy attitude and crap fashion sense. But Vince could. That's the reason why he never left. It wasn't because he didn't have any other friends, he did, it was just that Howard was the only person in the universe that he could tell anything to, and he had that comforting feeling that he would never be judged. Sure, Vince had been unfair to him in the past, but that was all over now, he decided.

He still felt bad about the fact that he was hesitant on telling anyone about his relationship with Howard. He knew he couldn't keep his romance a secret forever. He pondered on these thoughts for hours, usually whenever Howard wasn't there to talk to. And since he was with Lester Cornflakes at the Jazz club, (yuck) Vince was alone in the second-hand shop. Nabootique was basically all he had to look forward to every morning, that and observing Howard's morning routine silently, pretending to be asleep after a long night of cuddling.

Mostly Vince would lie down next to him until he fell asleep, and at that time every night Vince would carefully wrap Howard's arms around him and enjoy the comfort of his warm breath that danced softly across his pale skin. Howard remained timid when it came to affection, but Vince was slowly getting his mate used to being in contact with another human being. Howard worried about it, too. His issues with people touching him had gotten in the way of him getting close to Vince. He worried that Vince would tire of him and his boundaries and find someone else that could please him.

He thought about it the whole time that he was away from Vince, and as he sat half-listening to Lester's so-called wisdom, he missed even being in the same room as Vince.

"I have to go now," Howard interrupted. Missing Vince and longing for his company had become too much to bear.

"Yeah, yeah. See you, Howard," Lester dismissed him lazily. Howard split like The Who after Woodstock without further ado, nervously anticipating touching his lover.

Meanwhile, Vince was quickly tiring of his fashion magazine he'd been staring at for the past hour or so. Suddenly for the first time he wasn't interested in the fact that feathers were coming back in or that The Rolling Stones were doing a farewell tour (again). He imagined what Howard was up to – probably going on about the movement of Jazz music and rocking his man-corset like it was going out of style – wait, it already has. Vince laughed to himself. He still enjoyed making fun of his mates' lack of fashion sense, but he couldn't deny that he wouldn't have him any other way.

Suddenly the electro boy heard a bell ring, signaling that the front door was opening. He winced when a cold gust of wind hit his face. He looked up fully prepared to give another nameless customer his 1,000 watt smile, only to find Howard standing there. His heart skipped a couple of beats when he saw him standing in the doorway, fighting to catch his breath.

"He must have run here or something," Vince thought. He swallowed the lump in his throat to speak;

"You're home early." Howard sighed.

"Yeah, I missed you too much, I guess." They smiled for a moment, both men's hearts welling up with desire.

"Is Naboo in?" Howard asked, glancing around to see if there was any lingering smoke in the air; a sure sign that the Shaman and his familiar were home.

"Nope, you just missed him." His heart fluttered when Howard's face lit up.

Howard didn't waste any more time; he simply couldn't help himself. When he looked at Vince's glossy eyes he lost control. Vince was already in his arms before he could make his own move, or lack thereof, seeing as Howard Moon didn't know the first thing about romancing anyone. And this time he didn't care. He squeezed him back and held Vince's head to his chest gently.

Vince laughed, "I love you, Howard." At this, the other man's stomach did back flips. Just holding Vince in his arms like that brought up deeper feelings he hadn't exactly been prepared for.

"Kiss me," Vince said, his demanding voice thick with emotion. Howard didn't move for a minute.

"Come on, How-" And before he could even finish his sentence, Howard's lips crashed against Vince's in a passionate, hungry kiss.

"Now this I could get used to," Vince thought as he felt Howard's fingers run through his beautifully groomed raven hair.


End file.
